Last night, our BacchusBadBoys tasting group convened at Bistro315 for a dinner, this time including for once our SpousalUnits...for many of them their first times to see how actually bad the BBB's are. We did not disappoint...though Susan thought Frosty could out bad 'em all. Three of the wines we had were:
1, Chateau Lafite 1978: Med.color w/ slight bricking; beautiful cedary/pencil/sandalwood slight herbal/earthy very perfumed/aromatic very complex wonderful/classic old Bdx nose; slight metallic very cedary/pencilly/cigar box smooth/polished/elegant very slight herbal/earthy complex flavor; very long/lingering smooth/elegant/delicate very pencilly/cedary/cigar box slight herbal/Bdx finish w/ a slight tannic aftertaste; not a lot of fruit left but a beautiful/complex/classic Bdx; everything you'd want in an old Bdx. Don's last btl...alas.
_____________________
2. SQN InFlagrante Syrah (14.8%) 2000: Very dark color w/ no discernable bricking; beautful peppery/blackberry/Syrah/very spicy some pungent/ozone/WWII beacon some meaty/coffee/espresso/roasted some toasty/oak fairly complex slight Rhonish nose; lush very spicy/blackberry/Syrah meaty/Rhonish/pungent/smokey fairly structured some tannic complex flavor; very long pungent/WWII beacon/smokey some toasty/smokey/oak very strong blackberry/Syrah/peppery some espresso/coffee/Rhonish/roasted finish w/ some tannins; a big classic Alban-like Syrah w/o the charred oak; the tannins are starting to recede but this'll go out another 7-10 yrs probably.
_____________________
3. Chateau Filhot 1970: Med.dark gold color; slight herbal some botrytis/peachy light creme brulee/earthy some what chalky quite complex nose; off-dry tart bit chalky some creme brulee/peachy/botrytis very bright/fresh complex/elegant flavor; very long/lingering bright/fresh some chalky rather creme brulee/earthy light peachy/botrytis slight butterscotchy complex/elegant finish that goes on & on; not a lot of sweetness and botrytis but an amazing bright/fresh/vibrant/youthful character.
____________________________________________
And a wee BloodyPulpit:
1. LewisMoscow's 315 was closed for almost a year for remodeling and reopened about a yr ago now. It's a restaurant that goes from strength to strength and probably the best wine list in all SantaFe. A lot of interesting gems are hidden in it. The menu changes frequently with a nice tableau of daily specials. And the service is impecable. SantaFe is truly fortunate to have such a gem.
_____________________
2. Lafite: I have been soooo long out of the Bdx market. Just not much interested in Cabernet anymore, Bdx/Calif or anywhere. Seldom get a chance to try any but the most basic plonk. But then I get a chance to try something like this Lafite and recall what first drew me to Red Bdx. But, then, I look at the prices and ...yoikes... recall why I bailed on the red Bdx market yrs ago.
_____________________
3. SQN: This is probably only the 2'nd or 3'rd SQN, a wnry I followed from the very start when Manfred was making wine in Adam's Ojai cellar, that I've had in a recreational mode. The wines are just too precious to squander on my own enjoyment. But, as I rummaged around Wed night, looking for something to take, I figured "Why not"? I was not disappointed.
Despite the huge scores the SQN wines get from Parker, generally a reason for me to avoid a wine, being a charter member of the AFWE, I've always been impressed by Manfred's wines, going way back to the Queen of Hearts and the Roussanes Are Coming at Campanile. I usually try one young in a tasting venue and am dazzled by their intensity & extract, yet showing a balance you rarely find at that intensity level.
This is easily the best SQN wine that I've yet had. It was a wine I thoroughly enjoyed drinking w/ dinner, not just one that dazzled me with it's sheer power and potential. The wine is going to go on for yrs, but I see no reason not to be drinking it right now. Amazing juice.
___________________
4. Filhot: When I was first falling head over heels for Sauternes back in the early '70's, Filhot was one of my least favorites. I much preferred the intense botrytis and sweetness and oak of wines like Rieussec and Suduiraut (and d'Yquem on occasion). Filhot was fermented on concrete tanks, didn't have a lot of botrytis, not much new Fr.oak....and absolute wuss of a Sauternes in my view. So I pulled this '70 w/ pretty low expectations, determined not to squander my good stuff on the BBB's. I was so/so wrong on this wine. Still not a lot of botrytis and sweetness, but an amazing fresh/vibrant/youthful character that had allowed it develop such an amazing complexity. Alas....my last btl...but it went to a good cause...the BBB.
___________________
5. Though I didn't take detailed notes, the other wines were not at all shabby. PeterMichael PisoniVnyd PinotNoir '06; Clos l'Oratarie StEmillon '97, WhitehallLane Reserve Caabernet '97; Sbragia Cabernet '06, Wilson Zin '07 (my first ever Wilson wine...a place I've driven by any number of times but never tempted to stop in, and I was impressed by it).
Tom